SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING OF MEMBERS
TUESDAY 4th AUGUST 2015
Draft Minutes
Chairman Vice Commodore Paul Jackson declared the Meeting open at 7.40pm, given a quorum was
established.
Present at Meeting 4/8/15
Alan Nankervis
Andrew Mason-Jefferies
Andrew McBriar
Andrew McCowan
Andrew Merrett
Andrew Parker
Andrew Perkins
Andrew Phillips
Andy Ward
Angela Woodman
Anne Claydon
Anne Florence Plante
Anthony Garvey
Brett Stewart
Brian Oldfield
Brian Slater
Bruce Crossley
Bruce Fairlie
Bryan Drummond
Catherine Hurley
Charles Stanton
Christine McConnell
Clarissa Flockart
Col Barling
Craig Walton
David Hopkins
David Hutchings
David Lamond
David Newton
David Pollard
David Prest
David Simpson
David Spencer
vid Temby
David Turnbull
Deborah Lloyd
Denis McConnell
Don Richmond
Donald Blanksby
Frank Pound
Gary Davison
Geoff Adams
Geoff Perks
Glen Kile
Glen Norton
Glenn Ferguson
Graham Noel
Grant Dunoon
Harry Tedstone
Huw Provis
Ian Freer
Ian MacFarlane
Ian McClure
Ignazio Parolini
Ina Mather
James Heywood
James Hodgens
Jean-Pierre Scheerlinck
Jeff Casley
Jennifer Pascoe
Jeremy Rapke
Jim Leckey
Jim Yarra
Jock MacAdie
John Collingwood
John Khoury
John Mooney
John Scott
Karen Parker
Karyn McCowan
Kathy Perks
Keith Woodruff
Ken Cook
Kerry McGorlick
Kim Luck
Lars Schiphorst
Leigh Lansdown
Leigh Unsworth
Lesley Fasala
Linda McGorlick
Lloyd Hetrick
Lyn Bingham
Malcolm Mitchell
Mark Burton
Marian Johnson
Mary-Alice Tedstone
Matthew Geake
Maureen Parolini
Michael Rigg
Michael Wilson
Murray Cowdell
Nick Chapman
Nicole Lichter
Norm Baker
Pam Merritt
Past Commodore David Bingham
Past Commodore David Gotze
Past Commodore Gary Rowswell
Past Commodore John Spencer
Past Commodore Paul Woodman
Past Commodore Peter Johns
Past Commodore Ron Davies
Past Commodore Wendy Luck
Paul Jenkins
Paul Jenkins
Paul Pascoe
Peter Austin
Peter Demura
Peter Gebhardt
Peter Keage
Peter Strain
Phil Russell
Philip McLean
Richard Antill
Richard Barton
Richard Johnson
Rob Hand
Rob Hurrell
Robert Ferris
Robert Lichter
Rod Slater
Roger Claydon
Roger Jepson
Roger Walker
Roland Hill
Rory Thomas
Sarah Patterson
Shanna Hetrick
Simon Hirsch
Simon Madden
Simon Murphy
Simon Tedstone
Steve Ingram
Sue Leaper
Susan Masey
Susan Strain
Ted Masur
Terry Frankham
Terence Hill
Tim Cormack
Trenence Hill
Vanessa Twigg
Vice Commodore Paul Jackson
Victor Kibby
William Merritt
Apologies
Amanda Jackson
Andrew Prest
David Dyring
Grahame Chapman
James Begg
John Hearnes
Kirsten Mitchell
Michael Read
Sally Spencer
Proxies:
Past Commodore David Bingham
Don Blanksby
Bruce Crossley
Past Commodore Ron Davies
Bryan Drummond
Glenn Ferguson
Clarissa Flockart
David Hutchings
Steve Ingram
Vice Commodore Paul Jackson
Paul Jenkins
Roger Jepson
Past Commodore Peter Johns
Richard Johnson
John Khouri
Will Merritt
Malcolm Mitchell
John Mooney
Alan Nankervis
Ignazio Parolini
Rear Commodore Andrew Perkins
David Prest
Phillip Russell
David Spencer
Past Commodore John Spencer
Peter Strain
Harry Tedstone
Craig Walton
Roger Walker
Past Commodore Paul Woodman
18
1
1
3
1
1
2
1
1
108
1
1
16
1
5
4
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
43
Total proxies
224
Motion:
For the Minutes of the Special General Meeting held on 19 May to be accepted as a fair and accurate record
Moved Past Commodore John Spencer, seconded Vanessa Twigg
No vote was called, so this motion will need to remain on the agenda for a vote at the next General Meeting of
Members.
Agenda Item:
The purpose of this Special Meeting of Members was to consider and vote on the following resolution
proposed by 24 Senior Members in the appended Requisition for Meeting under RBYC Rule 32 which was
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addressed to and received by the Secretary on 10 of July 2015.
Resolution Until such time as a satisfactory alternative slipping facility, approved by the members of the Royal Brighton
Yacht Club, is in operation at the Club, this meeting directs the General Committee to repair immediately and
to maintain the existing slipway and yard at a level at which the said slipway and yard can be operated for the
purpose for which they were intended.
This resolution was now moved by Past Commodore Peter Johns, and seconded by Past Commodore Paul
Woodman.
Past Commodore Peter Johns spoke for the resolution. He outlined his long history of involvement with the
Club as a member and former office holder:
The Club is divided. As a Keelboat Club this Club needs a slip and yard, also to help fill vacant berths. Senior
membership is falling. The slip and yard service are an essential service, and the yard cannot be effectively
redeveloped into a recreational facility due to its aspect and prevailing wind conditions.
The slipway can be fixed for a little over $300k, and this needs to be seen in the context of General
Committee’s willingness to spend $3.6M on the clubhouse. Removing the slip will cost $200k. The
maintenance fund has $215k in it and gross income of $150k per year. The slipway is not as unsafe as
suggested.
The Club is facing serious change in direction if the slipway is lost. It is uncertain where lost revenue will in
future come from.
Without a service facility, race boats and their crews will go where the boats can be serviced. If and when an
alternative is in place, use of the yard can be reconsidered, but that will take 4 to 5 years and probably cost
between $2 and $3M.
Past Commodore Johns queried why GHD were not consulted by General Committee about the slipway issue,
given their long involvement with the Club and sponsorship of the Dragon Nationals last Christmas. He also
raised the issue of the e-mail misdirected by Rear Commodore Perkins to Members with boats in the yard
which he considered disgraceful, and asked why no person on General Committee had come out publicly to
condemn the Rear Commodore’s actions.
Past Commodore Johns objected to not being given free access to Committee Minutes, which had been
redacted, and likened the Club to a secret society. He stated that General Committee had not outlined a
future for the slip and yard, and it had taken till the day of this meeting for him to receive an offer to
communicate with the wider membership through the Club’s database.
In closing Past Commodore Johns urged Members not to take a chance on closing the slipway, as once lost it
would not be replaced.
Vice Commodore Jackson thanked Past Commodore Peter Johns, and invited Past Commodore Paul Woodman
to speak next, with illustration from a Powerpoint presentation:
Past Commodore Woodman outlined his long background with the Club, and argued the slipway was a vital
part of the Club. A marina needs services including a slip and yard, and having to go elsewhere for services
away from the Club is an inconvenience.
All marina occupiers are levied $900 each and this generates approx. $150k per year. This revenue is
dedicated to marine infrastructure, and should be spend on a re-instated slip. Two quotes had been received
from Elstone Divers and Dick Rowe for $311 and $335 respectively, and the above funds would cover these
repair costs.
Past Commodore Woodman urged Members to therefore vote for the resolution – as losing it now would
mean it would be gone forever.
Vice Commodore Jackson thanked Past Commodore Woodman and invited questions from the floor,
summarised as follows:
Bruce Crossley put forward the safety aspects in favour of having a slipway available when needed for
emergency slipping, and argued that losing the slip would reduce the financial capacity of the Club as young
sailors would not bring revenue. He asked how the Club would support cruising and racing in keelboats and
how it would survive financially without the slip.
Tim Cormack outlined that the problem is not that we have a slipway, as the majority of boats in the marina
could not use it now in all weathers and tides. His boat Vintage Burgundy can only be brought on the current
slipway on the highest tide, and therefore he and his fellow owners elect to go to Sandringham. He argued for
a long term facility not subject to weather and silting, which all boats could use.
David Temby, a more recent Member, expressed his disappointment with infighting at the Club, and requested
respect for the General Committee. He expressed dismay at breaches of privacy as his wife had received
unsolicited text messages. He also argued for change and that the future of the Club lay with young people,
not with Senior Members, many of whom did not pay subs anymore – without attracting young people there
would be no future revenue base and no flow through into crew for the keelboats.
Vice-Commodore Jackson stated that the unsolicited text messages had not been sent by the Club to
Members.
Bryan Drummond reminded Members that 4 years ago a Sub Committee had looked at the issue of the slipway
and had come up with a proposal to move to a modern facility on the hardstand. He was pleased with the
feasibility study presented at the last information session, around a future solution that fixes a lot of problems,
and argued that in addition for a temporary solution, Members should get behind the hardstand haul-out
option.
Kerry McGorlick stressing that he only spoke for himself and his grand-daughter, made the following points –
the Club faces a number of difficult issues – top priority is to get boats currently in the yard back in the water –
this is underway. Members have been given lots of information about the slip. The second priority is the need
to treat our subtenant Robstan fairly and equitably. The Club has arranged Memoranda of Understanding with
both Sandringham Yacht Club and Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, where Members’ boats can be slipped safely
and conveniently, speaking from his own experience, where our own slip has all its known limitations due to
weather and depth. Having to go elsewhere in no way affected his loyalty to this Club, and having a Club
without a slipway makes for an unsuccessful Club did not square with his recent experience of visiting
successful yacht clubs locally and overseas including examples such as the St Francis Yacht Club which
successfully optimised what assets they did have – often without slipping facility, yard, marina or even carpark.
Royal Brighton Yacht Club has two main assets, its marina and its clubhouse – the yard has a huge value when
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based on official valuation, and we choose to employ 19 century technology for 75 odd boat movements per
year. The issues deeper than the slipway are declining Membership and vacant marina berths. The Club
needs to look at the youth of our nation to go forward. He thanked the Commodore for grasping the nettle
and being prepared to deal with the slipway, and find a way to use another prime asset for the Club, its beach
frontage, where other Clubs have succeeded in doing so. The slipway is dead, old, unsafe and unsightly and
has nothing to add to the Club. He urged Members to support the Commodore and Committee who under
difficulty and criticism are working to move the Club forward.
Past Commodore David Bingham spoke next. He asserted that the Commodore had not been forthcoming
with a business case on any alternative to the slipway, that Senior boat owning Members had always
subsidised youth and OTB sailing, and that the valuation of the yard was irrelevant as the land was legally
preserved for recreational purposes. He further stated that Senior Members were entitled to relief from
paying subscriptions after 40 years of Senior Membership, and stated that with regards to breaches of privacy
Members should be looking at the actions of the Honorary Treasurer in relation to this type of conduct
Honorary Treasurer Malcolm Mitchell asked for proof of Past Commodore Bingham’s comment about his
alleged actions and a retraction of the comment, whereupon which the Chair Vice Commodore Paul Jackson
concluded the debate with by stating that the motion would be put.
General Manager Eric Wegman advised that the total voting pool of those present and proxies was 360.
Voting took place, with 168 votes cast in favour, and 188 against, the motion was declared lost.
Vice Commodore Paul Jackson thanked all, and advised that the result and all information relating to the
slipway issue would be provided to Past Commodore David Gotze, as chair of the sub-committee set up by
General Committee to review all matters relating to the slipway.
Meeting closed: 8.35 pm